Thrifted Transformation: Giant Etch-a-Sketch

Backstory at the top, jump to the bottom for instructions.

If I've talked to you recently you probably know that I'm going to be an aunt soon! Okay, not actually an aunt, but a really cool cousin who is just so excited that she can't resist calling herself "auntie Em." It'll be up to little Harper if I keep that title, but until she can talk I declare myself a pseudo aunt with no shame.

Anyway, with pseudo aunt status comes great pseudo aunt responsibility, aka buying her cute things and making sure she knows she's as loved as possible even when she's a tiny little bundle of cuteness who's only responsibility in life is to eat and sleep. Lucky for her, aunt Emily loves getting crafty and has been hard at work while we wait for her arrival.

My absolute favorite gift for Harper so far is for her Toy Story nursery. Pinterest is full of inspiration for Toy Story nurseries and many include large Etch-a-Sketch wall decorations, but honestly a lot of them are either super expensive store bought versions or lack luster DIY iterations that I'm not a huge fan of. So what's a pseudo aunt to do? Put her art degree to work and make the best giant Etch-a-Sketch she can muster.

I believe any craft adventure is possible with the right vision and patience, you just have to think creatively. I wanted to share this piece with the world because I believe it's a much better take on what's out there already and I truly believe anyone can do it. So if you too need a giant Etch-a-Sketch in your life, here's what you'll need:

  • A large picture frame
    • This can be any size you'd like, just make sure it has a thick framing width so it actually looks like an Etch-a-Sketch
  • An unframed chalkboard
  • Red and white paint and brushes
  • Two large white buttons
  • A hot glue gun (high heat works best but a low heat gun will work too)
  • A saw, or someone who has a saw to cut your chalkboard if your frame doesn't fit your frame dimensions
  • Sandpaper

Personally the hardest part for me was finding the perfect frame. My original plan was to find a chalkboard with a frame already on it but I couldn't find one with a thick enough frame to look like an Etch-a-Sketch, only ones with thinner designs that wouldn't look quite right. If you come across one then I'd recommend snagging it, I just wasn't so lucky.

Eventually though I did find the perfect frame at a thrift store. It didn't start out pretty but the structure was just what I was looking for and with some elbow grease it worked perfectly.


Believe it or not this, we'll call it bold, picture frame turned into an adorable Etch-a-Sketch. Here's what I did:

I started by removing the back, artwork, and glass. This was one of those frames not made for replacing what's inside so it was sealed with cardboard and the glass and art were kept in place with staples. After some work I was able to get all of that off and removed the staples (no hurt babies on my watch), and I was left with just the frame in all of it's bright yellow glory.


After that I got to sanding to smooth everything out.


Next I painted on a thin layer of white paint, this was just a base coat to help cover up the vivid yellow underneath. You could skip this step if your frame is plain starting out or if you don't mind your red being a little duller, but for me the outcome was worth adding in the extra step.

After the base coat dried completely I painted on two coats of red, I really liked how vivid the color turned out to be.




At this point everything was going smoothly. The frame looked great and I was really excited to add the chalkboard and all of the details. And then...I realized my chalkboard was too big. Don't solely rely on the iPhone measure app kids, it will get you partway there but it's not exact.

After a brief "oh crap moment," I decided to call in an expert, my grandpa. Who (lucky for me) is used to me asking for help cutting the most random things for all of my DIY adventures.



Crisis averted, I used a real measuring tape to find the right dimensions for the chalkboard to rest perfectly in the frame, thanks gramps.

Finally, time for my favorite part, the details. I got my glue gun heated up and ready to roll. I placed the chalkboard in the frame and put some books on it weigh it down in place. Then I sealed it into the frame with a lot of hot glue, I started with a layer around the edge to hold it and then added a thick layer overtop of that to make sure there was no chance of it popping out.

After that dried I added the buttons to the front with hot glue, making sure I avoided the holes so no glue came through. Then I grabbed a chalk marker and added a little personal touch.


That's it! Now I have a custom giant Etch-a-Sketch for the most perfect future Toy Story fan. I really love this project because not only will it be a great nursery decoration, but since it has a chalkboard in the middle it can turn into something Harper can actually use in the future. Maybe she'll practice her ABC's with it, or draw her very first stick people on it.

Now to think of my next project, a psuedo aunt's job is never done.

For those just here for the instructions:

 Supplies 

  • A large picture frame
    • This can be any size you'd like, just make sure it has a thick framing width so it actually looks like an Etch-a-Sketch
  • An unframed chalkboard
  • Red and white paint and brushes
  • Two large white buttons
  • A hot glue gun (high heat works best but a low heat gun will work too)
  • A saw, or someone who has a saw to cut your chalkboard if your frame doesn't fit your frame dimensions
  • Sandpaper

 Steps 
  1. Remove all art and glass from your picture frame
  2. If it's painted already, sand it down and add a thin coat of white paint to cover any imperfections and make your red paint look more bold
  3. Let everything dry and add two coats of red paint
  4. Cut your chalkboard down so it fits into your frame (if it's not the right size already)
  5. Place the chalkboard in the frame and secure it with a lot of hot glue
  6. Allow that to dry and then add large buttons to the front to look like Etch-a-Sketch knobs
  7. (Optional) Add hanging pieces to the back, I was able to use what was already attached to the frame but you may need to get a picture hanging kit if necessary
  8. Use chalk or a chalkboard marker to draw or write on your new Etch-a-Sketch

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